Heroica RPG - Quest 32: The Lost Children

[Costy]

"HEY!!!!!!! I bothered to figure out the solution to this puzzle. I bothered to save Sorrow's life back when the heart attack incident happened. I bothered to do everything!"

"Oooohhhhh.....interesting...."

I wasn't talking about you or any of the heroes from the hall. I was talking about the filthy houses, corrupt with greed. All they care about is power.

[Rumble Strike]

Sorrow carefully places the items into the cauldron;

First, the Toy lamb, representing the season of Spring

Then the Parasol, representing the season of Summer

Next, the Fallen Leaf, representing the season of Autumn

Finally the Sled, representing the season of Winter

With another blinding flash, the items in the cauldron disappear and the door creaks open, slowly. The skull somehow turns to the party and addresses them gravely:

You have solved the riddle and may now see the Maginastra. But beware, those who seek to do him ill will soon regret their impudence in the face of such power he wields.

With the strange door open, they can see into another room. Have they finally found the lair of the Maginastra?

What will the party do?

[Costy]

I peek around the corner to see if there is anything there. If there is not I search the bed for any valuable.

"Why is the pillow made out of gold? It does not look to be very comfortable. And why is there no roof? Or can I just not see it."

[Myrddyn]

Erik knocks on the wall loudly and calls out "Mr Maginastra, can we speak to you?"

[Costy]

Erik knocks on the wall loudly and calls out "Mr Maginastra, can we speak to you?"

"Quiet! we don't want to provoke him!"

[Myrddyn]

"The skull would have told him we are coming in, as it opened the door for us. That implies we have permission to enter, and I don't see how sneaking around is going to provoke him more than politely knocking and announcing our presence."

"Oh, and looting the room. That's hardly going to please him, is it?"

Edited May 24, 2012 by Myrddyn

[Costy]

"Oh, and looting the room. That's hardly going to please him, is it?"

we've already looted the rest of the house so I doubt he will mind us doing a little bit more. And if we're going to have to fight him we need everything we can find.

[Myrddyn]

"Good point. I still want to talk to him first, though. He didn't harm the children, so he probably had a good reason, or at least one he thought was good."

Erik goes further into the room and looks around for more things to loot.

[Rumble Strike]

Thae party cautiously wander into the chamber:

It is indeed the chamber of the Maginastra, as he is right there, holding a wicked-looking staff, an amused look as Nagure tries to take his gold-coloured pillow.

Don't take that, my good man. It's comfy and the colour is quite nice against these rather stark and bare walls.

His voice is melodious and entirely reasonable.

[Costy]

Why did you take the children? What is with all the strange guardians? What's in that dome? Why are you blue? Where is the loot? Nice beard by the way.

[Myrddyn]

"I say we can trust him, at least until something occurs to make me think otherwise. You can always trust a man with a big beard."

"Nice staff. I hope you don't mind us sort-of breaking in and clobbering your guardians. I think I heard something about the Ji Pei having blue skin. You aren't from a similar area to them, are you, by any chance? And of course, what my friend here said, why did you take the children?"

Erik does not try and loot anything.

[Costy]

"Nice staff. I hope you don't mind us sort-of breaking in and clobbering your guardians.

And stealing your weapons and potions, reading your documents, not listening to your guards, taking the children away and stealing your money.

[Rumble Strike]

The Maginastra answers the questions in his calm, slightly amused manner.

As you no doubt have guessed, I am Byverion the Maginastra. I am from a realm far away from Eubric. No, I am not a Ji Pei but I do know of them. A wonderful people, very clever.

You wish to know why took the children? You already know this. To keep them safe!

[Costy]

You wish to know why took the children? You already know this. To keep them safe![/b][/color]

What are you keeping them safe from? To us it seems like you are kidnapping them.

[Rumble Strike]

This world crumbles into chaos. Each day, there is more. Across the lands of Dastan, war has broken out, with huge empires and mighty armies at each others throats.

Even here, in this sleepy little hamlet, a great darkness rested for years and years. It was inadvertently released by a set of heroes from Heroica, new to the pressures of heroism much like yourselves. But what happened cannot be undone. No magic exists for that to happen, and now the Great Scourge is back. The Dark General and his mistress will not be content to just wander through Olegaia, taking in the sights. Already, they are rebuilding their forces at Miranda. Creating more darkness, more chaos.

That is why I took the children away from here. Ve'er is not safe. Nowhere is safe. By keeping them here in the realms I can create, with the Guardians to look after them, they have a chance.

[Costy]

While I understand your point, we were able to defeat the guardians that were guarding the children. That means that they are not as safe as you originally thought. They will be much safer with us.

[Rumble Strike]

I allowed you into this mansion, allowed you to loot anything that wasn't nailed down, allowed you to access the four realms of sanctuary to test the Guardians in a combat situation. I will admit, you have done very well, and now I know that I must do better and create stronger Guardians.

Edited May 24, 2012 by Rumble Strike

[Costy]

Perhaps there is a way where you can protect the children without taking them away from their families. Maybe you can take their parents into the realm as well. An army would be much stronger than the six of us. The guardians would be useless.

[Endgame]

This wasn't what I was expecting. i was expecting him to be relatively ticked about what we did. But i was right about the darkstar being the cause, at any rate.

"Maginastra, after the guardians and the other talking inanimate objects, you're actually very reasonable. Choas does indeed reign, yes - my very undead existence oozes choas for defying the cirlce of life - but why just the children? Did the parents not deserve the sanctuary?

I really have no problems with you now, Maginastea. Your methods are controversial, however, to say the least. You caused much grief in many families. Even the one who gave us this task lost his daughter."

[Rumble Strike]

My task is not to save the parents - they are already forfeit, already swallowed by the chaos that surrounds us all. No, my task purely focuses on the children, the next generation of Olegaia. To keep them safe whilst the chaos rampages through this world, to return later, and forge it anew.

[Endgame]

My task is not to save the parents - they are already forfeit, already swallowed by the chaos that surrounds us all. No, my task purely focuses on the children, the next generation of Olegaia. To keep them safe whilst the chaos rampages through this world, to return later, and forge it anew.

"Playing the innocence of children card, eh? Can't really blame you on that one - we've all commited some sins."

"Your task was counterproductive, unfortunately. The kidnapping of the children just generated even more choas in this fair little town. I no longer wish to fight you, but I do wish you'd reconsider your actions."

"that mean no execution? Simply a travesty...

Syntax also fully processed what drake said minutes earlier - he apprently lags behind sometimes.

I steal control of Sorrow's head for a second.

"You did not save Sorrow, drake. You doused him with water, left him dirpping, and it made the electroctuion even more excruitiantg. if you hadn't doused him, I, his alter ego, would never exist.

Edited May 24, 2012 by Endgame

[Rumble Strike]

"I no longer wish to fight you, but I do wish you'd reconsider your actions."

Hlin looks at Sorrow and the others, completely outraged.

"You said we were going to show this Maginastra the error of his ways, now you're going to let him smooth-talk his way out of a beatdown just because he felt what he was doing was the right thing to do?"

Hlin squares up against the Maginastra, still livid should really have taken a pic of this, seeing as they are both NPCs!.

"You stole my daughter away from me! I am a lawman in this "sleepy hamlet", I can protect her, yet you gave me and Vell no choice, allowed no discussion about this "chaos" and whether we wanted protection! I would never entrust Vell's safety to another, I am her father and she is my responsibility. I'm sure all the parents in Ve'er would say the same. We do not possess the magical abilities or powers you clearly have, all we can do each day is the right thing, and hope that it will be enough to make a difference. Each one of these children already had a Guardian."

[Endgame]

Hlin looks at Sorrow and the others, completely outraged.

"You said we were going to show this Maginastra the error of his ways, now you're going to let him smooth-talk his way out of a beatdown just because he felt what he was doing was the right thing to do?"

Hlin squares up against the Maginastra, still livid should really have taken a pic of this, seeing as they are both NPCs!.

"You stole my daughter away from me! I am a lawman in this "sleepy hamlet", I can protect her, yet you gave me and Vell no choice, allowed no discussion about this "chaos" and whether we wanted protection! I would never entrust Vell's safety to another, I am her father and she is my responsibility. I'm sure all the parents in Ve'er would say the same. We do not possess the magical abilities or powers you clearly have, all we can do each day is the right thing, and hope that it will be enough to make a difference. Each one of these children already had a Guardian."

"I'm trying not to engage in fisticuffs, good sir. i'm basically trying to tell him in the nicest way possible for an undead to get the hell out. If the darkstar army really is approaching, though, we have a problem. I'm not even sure if some of the more talented heroes in our organization can defuse an entire army. that's another problem currently. I'm Syntax by the way - Sorrow's alter-ego who would love to take down beardy. if you and the rest of the party want to defeat this guy, then so be it."

I say this all in the lowest whisper possible.

I huddle with the rest of my party.

"What do you guys think?" I say, still in a whisper.

[Tachyon]

"Do you think that by doing this, you could really raise them up yourself ? The kids are our future and they should have the right to choose their own future, not get it paved out for them. Do you really think you had the right to take them away from their parents? From what I see, you think you are choosing the destiny you think is the safest but your method may not be the best. How about you consider helping the children by living in the village teaching and protecting them with their parents?"

Edited May 24, 2012 by zakura

[Rumble Strike]

Byverion the Maginastra looked at Mizuki and smiled sadly.

Child, my fates are tied to the magics within this mansion you see before you. Outside of here, I would have no power, and no way to protect anyone.

I will admit that my initial task had been accomplished in a manner displeasing to those it was only trying to protect, people such as the good Captain here. No malice was ever intended, it was just the agreed course of action.

I will have to report to my superiors that this whole thing became a bit of a mess and recommend that the idea be scrapped.

Interesting that some of you still harbour thoughts of defeating me, though. Surely you can see, with my abilities, in my house, that taking me on is an absurd notion? Granted, you overcame each one of my Guardians, and I do respect you for that, but really? You're going to "take down beardy"?